Catalyz Nutrition

Our own government's studies mirror this finding.    Every ten years, the U.S. government does an analysis of thousands of its citizens looking at various markers of health;  this study is called NHANES (the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey).    NHANES data has shown that compared with a high-salt diet, a low-salt diet has been associated with a greater than 400 percent increase in risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack) in men.  

 

Why do we need salt (i.e. sodium and chloride) for good health?   Salt is the second biggest constituent in the body next to water.  Sodium lives mainly in the fluid between cells.   If it is deficient, cell permeability becomes compromised and cellular health -- or should I say, your health -- suffers.    We need adequate amounts of salt for our adrenal glands to function normally; adrenal dysfunction is occurring at epidemic rates presently.   Salt is necessary for the production of hydrochloric acid for strong digestion.   It is required for the proper functioning of our nerves and the contraction of our muscles.   And more.   

 

Suprisingly, perhaps, there is a large health difference between processed grocery store salt and unrefined natural salts.   Most processed grocery store salts contain anti-caking, free flowing, or conditioning agents, which can be toxic to the body.   These agents include sodium ferrocyanide, ammonium citrate, and aluminum silicate.  The final purity of refined (grocery store) salt is between 99.7-99.95 percent “pure"  sodium and chloride.     Unfortunately, what they call the  “impurities" -- healthy minerals and elements -- have been stripped from refined salt.

 

Which leads to the biggest advantage of unrefined salts:   unrefined salts contain up to 80 trace minerals which can have huge, positive health impacts.    The majority of Americans are mineral deficient, according to study after study.   And mineral deficiencies contribute to chronic illness.    For example, over the last 30 years, NHANES found a correlation between inadequate levels of minerals (particularly potassium, magnesium, and calcium) and the presence of hypertension.   

 

According to Dr. David Brownstein, author of Salt: Your Way to Health,    "...there is enough evidence to discount the myth that salt = hypertension.  Good salt, unrefined sea salt, does not cause hypertension. In fact, its use can actually help prevent and treat hypertension."

 

There is only one (large) disadvantage to using unrefined sea salts:   although they contain iodine, they don't contain enough iodine for good health.    Our food supply in the US is extremely low in iodine, as it was about 100 years ago when the government first required processed salt manufacturers to  "iodize" salt.     Iodine not only supports mental functioning and prevents goiter, but is crucial to thyroid health and the prevention of breast cancer, in particular.    Unless you're eating iodine-rich fish and sea vegetables almost daily, as is the case in Japan, you need to carefully consider where your iodine is coming from.

 

If you use iodized, refined grocery store salt or eat lots of processed foods loaded with refined salts, you'll likely be getting enough iodine....but you'll not be optimizing mineral content and the overall healthfulness of your food.  

 

How to get past this dilemma?    One answer is to use 50% iodized grocery store salt (for iodine), and 50% mineral-rich unrefined salt (for mineral content/ health).    This is the simplest, most cost-effective solution.

 

The optimal solution for health, however, would be to switch entirely to a heathy, unrefined salt -- and supplement with iodine.   The most commonly used iodine supplement is Iodoral, which can be purchased easily online.

 

By the way, just because a salt is called "sea salt" doesn't mean it is mineral rich, unrefined, or good for you.     Real unrefined salts have a high moisture content and are usually grey or pink in color (from the minerals).    Two great brands to try are:  Celtic Sea Salt (found at some health food stores or online at www.celticseasalt.com)  and Real Salt (www.realsalt.com).     

 

Hint:   since moisture-rich unrefined salts do not flow or shake as easily as salts loaded with unhealthy anti-caking agents, you may want to keep using regular salt in your shaker at the dinner table, or switch to using an old-fashioned salt dish ("salt cellar") from which you can pinch a bit of salt for your meat or vegetables.    We take the second approach, and my two daughters are proud to do the same thing that kings and queens apparently did, which was to "pinch" not "shake" their salt.    (Well, that makes a good story, anyway.....!)